Patriots' Drake Maye names what he must improve as starting QB

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye has thus far made just four regular-season starts, and the only win on his record occurred when he spent over half a contest in the NFL's concussion protocol. 

While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Maye addressed an aspect of his game he hopes to improve as a QB1 through Week 18. 

"I’ve got to protect the football," Maye acknowledged, as shared by Mark Daniels of MassLive. "That’s the biggest thing. I think there’s times where my decision-making, whether it’s ball security in the pocket, and knowing when that timer goes off in my head, little things like that. Other than that, just taking the right play is the biggest thing. ...Sometimes the punt is not the worst thing there."

Across his first four starts, Maye tossed four interceptions and lost two fumbles. According to the StatMuse website, he would be responsible for the most turnovers in the league this season among quarterbacks if he began the campaign as the club's Week 1 starter, averaged 1.5 giveaways per contest and played in each game. While such mistakes are to be expected from any first-year signal-caller, Maye understands at least some of his turnovers were avoidable. 

"Maybe you go try to make a play, check down, and get a broken tackle and pick up the first," Maye added during his comments. "Knowing the situation, what’s the best play for this football team instead of being as aggressive in certain situations." 

Maye insisted he is still "going to be aggressive" because he is "that kind of quarterback." Such a mindset is admirable, as the 2-7 Patriots won't be competing for much of note through January and can allow him to learn what can be painful lessons as a starter as long as he doesn't begin losing members of the locker room due to poor play. 

Maye will look to pick up his first true victory as a pro when New England plays at the 4-4 Chicago Bears this coming Sunday. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Patriots as six-point underdogs for the matchup at Soldier Field.